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This study was conducted to evaluate the alterations of some morphological and biochemical parameters of sunflower cultivars (‘08-TR-003’, ‘TR-3080’ and ‘TARSAN-1018’) under salt stress. For this aim, the seedling of sunflower cultivars was irrigated with tap water as a control, and with salinised water with 50, 150 and 250 mM NaCl for 30 days under controlled conditions. Salinity caused an apparent reduction in morphological parameters (plant height, leaf area, fresh weight, dry matter and water content) in all cultivars. Salt stress significantly (P<0.01) reduced the activity of glutathione reductase (GR) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities in all sunflower cultivars expect for superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. According to our results, SOD seems to play a key role in the antioxidative process in salt treated sunflower plants. Proline and malondialdehyde contents were significantly (P<0.05) increased under salt stress in all cultivars. Among the cultivars, ‘TR-3080’ had greater values in terms of morphological (plant height, leaf area, fresh weight, water content) and biochemical [GR, APX and SOD (secondly) activities and proline contents] parameters. In the light of these findings, cv. ‘TR-3080’ seems to be less affected by salt stress. Introduction Biotic and abiotic stresses are the main problems of agricultural systems. Salinity is also considered as a major abiotic stress and a significant factor affecting crop production all over the world (about 7% of arable lands of the world are under salinity pressure) and especially in arid and semi-arid regions (Bajehbaj, 2010). Throughout semi-arid regions of temperate climates, the most important oil-yielding crop is sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) (Jabeen and Ahmad, 2012). Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), a species of the Asteraceae family, is an important annual economic (edible or oil-producing) oilseed crop that is ranked as the 4th important vegetable oil crop after soybean, palm oil and rapeseed (Wen-Zhi et al., 2014; Achakzai et al., 2015; Bakhoum and Sadak, 2016). It is grown around the world and is a popular crop in countries that have salt affected soils (Masor, 2011). The soil salinity level was the main limiting factor for vegetative growth of sunflower (Ma et al., 2016). Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) has been rated as moderately salt-resistant with no significant yield reduction up to 4.8 dS m−1, and variability for salt resistance has been detected within this crop (Ceccoli et al., 2012; Machekposhti et al., 2017). Salinity adversely affects important physiological processes and biochemical mechanisms, causes severe loss in crop productivity worldwide (Per et al., 2017) and can cause some biochemical changes in plant cell such as losing of cell turgor and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (Nxele et al., 2017). ROS including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anions (O2 •−), hydroxyl radical (OH•) and singlet oxygen (1O2) are by-products of physiological metabolisms, and are precisely controlled by enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense systems (You and Chan, 2015). The main antioxidant enzymes include superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR) and the activities of these enzymes are generally increased in plants under oxidative stress conditions (Bela et al., 2015; Vighi et al., 2017). One of the other cellular responses to saline conditions is the alteration of metabolism and production of compatible solutes (osmolytes) such as proline, which are distributed among different organisms (Mansour and Ali, 2017). The accumulation of proline (Pro) is one of the striking metabolic responses of plants to salt stress (Per et al., 2017). One of the cell parts where stress-related oxidative damage has the most effect is the cell membrane. As a result of oxidative damage, lipid peroxidation occurs in cell membranes and the permeability of the membrane is damaged. Lipid peroxidation can be measured with the help of malondialdehyde (MDA), which is a byproduct of this process (Koç, 2015). There are limited reports (RiosGonzalez et al., 2002) on the morphological and biochemical responses of sunflower to soil salinity. Therefore, this study was Correspondence: Ramazan Beyaz, Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Ahi Evran University, Bağbaşı, Kırşehir, Turkey. E-mail: ramazanbeyaz@gmail.com

Morphological and biochemical changes in response to salinity in sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) cultivars